Director of New Business
What advice can you give students that can help them develop their own leadership skills?
I would recommend getting involved in campus and organizations, and in particular, take on leadership roles within those organizations. By no means do students need to sign up for everything under the sun, but find an organization they are passionate about and really be involved (don’t take a back-seat approach just for a resume booster). It’s a great opportunity to network with professors, other students, and members outside the Gustavus community to make a difference, and you’ll naturally develop leadership skills, communication skills, etc through those experiences. Specifically, I would recommend joining the Gustavus Mentoring Program; I wish that had been around when I was in college!
What is the best piece of advice you were given to help you develop your own leadership skill?
The best piece of advice I was told was to start doing the job I wanted before I had it, and first be an “informal” leader among the team. I really took that advice to heart, and I started to take on some responsibilities from my supervisor and become experts in certain areas, and naturally the team started to see me as a leader. So when I did step into the formal leadership role, I already had good rapport with my co-workers and their respect as their leader.